diff --git a/jenkins/data/bindep-fallback.txt b/jenkins/data/bindep-fallback.txt
index 4a12062aaf..5597ccba8b 100644
--- a/jenkins/data/bindep-fallback.txt
+++ b/jenkins/data/bindep-fallback.txt
@@ -100,7 +100,14 @@ dev-python/pyzmq [platform:gentoo]
 # both here for documentary purpose.
 python3-all [platform:dpkg]
 python3-all-dev [platform:dpkg]
-python3-devel [platform:fedora]
+python3-devel [platform:fedora platform:suse]
+# python3-devel does not pull in the python3 package on openSUSE so
+# we need to be explicit. The python3 package contains the XML module
+# which is required by a python3 virtualenv. Similarly, in python2,
+# the XML module is located in python-xml which is not pulled in
+# by python-devel as well. See https://bugzilla.suse.com/show_bug.cgi?id=1046990
+python3 [platform:suse]
+python-xml [platform:suse]
 redis [platform:rpm]
 redis-server [platform:dpkg]
 dev-db/redis [platform:gentoo]
diff --git a/nodepool/elements/infra-package-needs/package-installs.yaml b/nodepool/elements/infra-package-needs/package-installs.yaml
index 8ea49303b4..d6572eb423 100644
--- a/nodepool/elements/infra-package-needs/package-installs.yaml
+++ b/nodepool/elements/infra-package-needs/package-installs.yaml
@@ -2,8 +2,12 @@ coreutils:
 cron:
 util-linux:
 build-essential:
+python-xml:
+  phase: pre-install.d
 python-dev:
 python3-dev:
+python3:
+  phase: pre-install.d
 uuid-runtime:
 traceroute:
 ntp:
diff --git a/nodepool/elements/infra-package-needs/pkg-map b/nodepool/elements/infra-package-needs/pkg-map
index bd249481e8..2c52939f21 100644
--- a/nodepool/elements/infra-package-needs/pkg-map
+++ b/nodepool/elements/infra-package-needs/pkg-map
@@ -41,8 +41,10 @@
       "git": "git-core",
       "iputils-ping": "iputils",
       "ntpdate": "",
+      "python-xml": "python-xml",
       "python-dev": "python-devel",
       "python3-dev": "python3-devel",
+      "python3": "python3",
       "iptables": "iptables SuSEfirewall2",
       "uuid-runtime": "uuidd"
     }
@@ -53,6 +55,8 @@
     "gentoolkit": "",
     "centos-release-openstack-ocata": "",
     "redhat-rpm-config": "",
-    "redhat-lsb-core": ""
+    "redhat-lsb-core": "",
+    "python-xml": "",
+    "python3": ""
   }
 }